Child screen time has shot up 50% since 2020 with screen time averaging around 4 hours per day

The amount of time children spend on screens each day rocketed by more than 50 per cent during the pandemic – the equivalent of an extra hour and twenty minutes.

Researchers compared screen use between January 2020 and March 2022 by looking at data from 46 studies involving nearly 30,000 kids in multiple countries.

Child participants had an average age of nine but ages ranged from age three to 18.

Results showed screen time jumped from a baseline of 162 minutes a day before the pandemic to 246 minutes during the pandemic.

Using digital devices is not in itself risky, but unmoderated screen time can have long-lasting effects on a child’s mental and physical health. 

Previous studies indicate excess screen time can cause physical eye and body strain, sleep deprivation, and impaired cognitive abilities.

Spending too much time on gadgets has also been linked to reduced physical activity and a rise in obesity, as well as lower self esteem and poor socialization skills.

Lockdowns and school closures in early 2020 affected more than 1.5 billion children worldwide, a shift that upended their daily lives and system of social interactions with their peers. 

Researchers from the University of Calgary, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, and University College Dublin collected data on screen usage from 46 studies spanning from January 2020 through March 5, 2022.

The researchers said: ‘To cope with such unparalleled disruptions to normal living conditions, many children and families likely used digital devices to occupy their time during the pandemic. 

‘Population-level increases in child and adolescent screen time have therefore been expected.’

Before the onset of the pandemic, children spent about 160 minutes per day on digital devices. 

Children ranging in age from 12 to 18 showed the greatest screen time spike with an additional 110 minutes per day. 

The average amount of time spent on personal computers and handheld devices like smartphones shot up by 46 and 44 minutes a day, respectively.

The researchers blamed the steep rise on the fact that most children in that age group have access to digital devices such as smartphones and personal computers to use inside and outside of school settings.

‘This finding aligns with the observation that, as devices became a central component of daily living and interactions during the pandemic—for work, schooling, learning, socialization, and recreation alike —one in 5 parents reportedly purchased new devices for their children, primarily computers and handheld devices,’ the researchers said.

People in that age range are already predisposed to spend a lot of their leisure time on screens where they maintain friendships and make social interactions.